Coca-Cola Great Britain Delivers Real Coca-Cola Taste Without the Sugar

In its ongoing push to help consumers who are looking to reduce their sugar intake, Coca-Cola Great Britain has made a six-year, nearly $40 million investment to reformulate it is products. One of those, Coke Zero Sugar, is just the latest in the Company’s efforts to meet consumer demand for low-to-no sugar offerings.

In fact, since 2005 Coca-Cola Great Britain has launched 28 drinks with low or no sugar, including reducing the sugar by at least 30 percent in brands including Fanta, Sprite, Dr Pepper, Oasis, Lilt and Schweppes Lemonade. These actions are helping to make a difference—the latest data shows that sugar consumed from all soft drinks in the UK is down by more than 16 per cent in the last four years.

For the new Coke Zero Sugar, the Company spent several months in research and development to bring consumers a sugar-free taste experience closer than ever to the 130-year-old original. This is the Company’s biggest product launch in the UK for a decade, and this summer it is giving away more than 4 million free samples of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar for consumers to try. People in the U.K. were able to try the new Coke Zero Sugar at events such as the Barclaycard Presents British Summer Time in Hyde Park and a pop-up Coke Zero Sugar photo booth at Camden Beach Bar.

Sporting a new name and a sleek new look, the signature red disk and black silhouette distinctly marks Coke Zero Sugar for those looking for a sugar-free option. The fresh packaging aligns with the new ‘One Brand’ look across Coca-Cola products. In addition, Coke Zero Sugar is available in increasingly popular mini can sizes of 150 ml (5 oz) and 250 ml (8.5 oz).

“It’s the biggest investment we’ve made in a new product launch for a decade,” says Jon Woods, general manager of Coca-Cola Great Britain, which is spending $13 million on the marketing campaign.

Simply dialing down the sugar content isn’t the end game for Coca-Cola Great Britain. “The first step is about going further than just making a no sugar drink that tastes great,” says Woods of the Coke Zero Sugar reformulation.

“It’s about creating a drink that tastes great and replicates the taste and feeling you get from a drink that has sugar,” he says. “That’s not an easy task and it’s tricky to mimic. It takes time and testing. We've focused on that with this new recipe.”

Coca-Cola is also actively working to increase the share of low- or no-sugar drinks it sells. In Great Britain, that share is currently 45 percent; the goal is 50 percent by 2020. Coke Zero Sugar is sure to help toward meeting that goal.

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, offering over 500 brands to people in more than 200 countries. Of our 21 billion-dollar brands, 19 are available in lower- or no-sugar options to help people moderate their consumption of added sugar. In addition to our namesake Coca-Cola drinks, some of our leading brands around the world include: AdeS soy-based beverages, Ayataka green tea, Dasani waters, Del Valle juices and nectars, Fanta, Georgia coffee, Gold Peak teas and coffees, Honest Tea, Minute Maid juices, Powerade sports drinks, Simply juices, smartwater, Sprite, vitaminwater, and Zico coconut water. At Coca-Cola, we’re serious about making positive contributions to the world. That starts with reducing sugar in our drinks and continuing to introduce new ones with added benefits. It also means continuously working to reduce our environmental impact, creating rewarding careers for our associates and bringing economic opportunity wherever we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people around the world.

The fairlife® brand is owned by fairlife, LLC, our joint venture with Select Milk Producers, Inc., and fairlife’s products are distributed by our Company and certain of our bottling partners.